இன்று ஒரு (தாமதமான) தகவல்

(Pic. courtesy: Asian Tribune)

I've been meaning to post this for the past few days and couldn't get around to doing it in decent time, if there is one. Thenkachi Ko. Swaminathan, the man that made the weekday morning grind bearable to thousands across Tamil Nadu, has passed away on Sep 17th, 2009.

To the internet/video game/twitter generation, he is a nobody. But to those who have had the pleasure of tuning in to A.I.R around 7:xx in the mornings, he was a colossus. His daily program, indru oru thagaval (Daily piece of information), all of 5 minutes long carried a message and a humorous piece at the end. It was a menu that was unchanged for the entire time that he did the show. The topics that he touched upon was wide and varied and his specialty was his use of simple language that could resonate with just about anybody. The humor was subtle and didn't so much hammer the funny bone as it tickled it, leaving behind an amused smile rather than a loud guffaw.

Some faces are just designed to be funny. Jay Leno, for example. If a person, with absolutely no knowledge about who Jay Leno is, were to take a guess about his profession, I'm sure comedian will be among the first three guesses. It isn't as clear cut in the case of a few others and Swaminathan's was one such. But behind that sombre and morose facade was a voice with a nasal ring to it that was cut out just for humor. His voice brings back a flood of old memories. Memories of getting ready to school. Of my mother cutting vegetables for the day's cooking while listening to him. Of those mornings when I caught the show at Capital Hair Dressers (and later at Penguin Saloon) while getting a long over due haircut. Of a simple and less hurried life. A reassuring voice that could coax people into facing the day that lay ahead with vigor. A voice that conveyed that all is well with the world as we know it.

For someone that was very popular and well known, he was quite simple and down to earth in his appearance and demeanor. I still remember his appearance in one of the short lived talk shows on Vijay TV where it was mentioned that he took the bus to work everyday. And, not surprisingly, the news of his passing away has been under the radar and hasn't found more than the casual mention in the media with no politician paying a visit. Not that it signifies anything. Even The Hindu has a rather poor and pixelated picture accompanying the news item.

May his soul rest in peace!